Spend Matters Friday Latte

Figure it out.Debt Ceiling Uncertainty Puts States at Risk -- Maryland is postponing a bond sale that had been scheduled for Friday, after the state was warned that its credit rating would probably be lowered in the event of a federal downgrade. California, which typically issues short-term bonds at this time of year, is working to arrange bank loans instead, citing the market uncertainty. And state officials across the nation are trying to figure out what will happen to the federal payments they rely on for everything from Medicaid to unemployment to highway construction if a deal is not reached to raise the debt ceiling by the Aug. 2 deadline.

You've got mail.Many Seek to Revamp Post Office -- Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle agree that the Postal Service needs revamping. Five overhaul bills have been introduced -- two by Republicans and three by Democrats -- with proposals addressing issues like the actuarial assumptions for employees' retirement benefits and the viability of Saturday deliveries. "The situation at the Postal Service is dire," said Senator Thomas R. Carper, a Delaware Democrat who has introduced one of the bills. "The option of doing nothing is not an option."

MetalMiner talks aerospace.Aerospace Booming, Supply Chain at Risk -- In an FT article out this week, Forecast International are quoted as saying they expect production of commercial and military aircraft to jump more than 50 percent to 4,870 units within just five years. Anyone reading the good news that at least some parts of the manufacturing sector are doing well may imagine the supply chain is rubbing its hands in glee, but the reality is both the aircraft makers and their suppliers are worried that some parts of the vast sub-supplier network may not be up to the task.